ABSTRACT

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) significantly affects individuals across multiple areas of intimate, familial, and parental domains. Gender and identity are pivotal research areas in navigating life after ABI. To date, scant research has explored gendered experiences, particularly those related to the masculine lifeworld. This study aimed to explore how men who were fathers before their injuries experience fatherhood after ABI. An Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) methodology was used, and seven fathers participated in the semi-structured interviews (time since injury 1-18 years, age range 27-66 years) which explored their meaning-making. Four superordinate themes were drawn from all interviews through engaging with the qualitative research process: (1) what being a father means, (2) altered relationships with others, (3) becoming lost and finding their way through, and (4) renewed fatherhood. The findings show intersectionality between pre-and post-injury comparisons of self and social identities, alongside the contextual and societal identities in the subjective fathering experiences. Through increased understanding, we may enable fathers to find new ways to resolve, reformulate, and connect to move into their future possible fatherhood. The importance of this research is in giving voice to these less represented men so that we may shape our understanding to aid future fathers post-ABI.

摘要

获得性脑损伤 (ABI) 会显着影响亲密、家庭和父母领域等多个领域的个人。性别和身份是 ABI 之后驾驭生活的关键研究领域。迄今为止，很少有研究探讨性别体验，尤其是那些与男性生活世界相关的体验。本研究旨在探讨受伤前已为人父的男性在 ABI 后如何体验父亲身份。使用解释现象学分析 (IPA) 方法，七名父亲参与了半结构化访谈（受伤后时间为 1-18 岁，年龄范围为 27-66 岁），探讨了他们的意义形成。通过参与定性研究过程，从所有访谈中得出四个高级主题：（1）父亲意味着什么，（2）改变与他人的关系，(3) 迷路并寻找出路，以及 (4) 重新成为父亲。研究结果显示了自我和社会身份的受伤前后比较之间的交叉性，以及主观父亲经历中的背景和社会身份。通过增加理解，我们可以让父亲们找到新的方法来解决、重新制定和连接，以进入他们未来可能的父亲身份。这项研究的重要性在于让这些代表人数较少的男性发声，这样我们就可以形成我们的理解，以帮助未来的 ABI 父亲。通过增加理解，我们可以让父亲们找到新的方法来解决、重新制定和连接，以进入他们未来可能的父亲身份。这项研究的重要性在于让这些代表人数较少的男性发声，这样我们就可以形成我们的理解，以帮助未来的 ABI 父亲。通过增加理解，我们可以让父亲们找到新的方法来解决、重新制定和连接，以进入他们未来可能的父亲身份。这项研究的重要性在于让这些代表人数较少的男性发声，这样我们就可以形成我们的理解，以帮助未来的 ABI 父亲。